


Red Tie, Red Flowers

by okliv



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, F/M, Fluffy, Graduation, No Angst, One Shot, ben scoops rey off a couch, but literally just a scene that exploded out of me, just a tiny bit Mrs. Dalloway inspired?, just fluff, rey is a smartie and is getting her PhD, supportive ben solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 10:26:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19743808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okliv/pseuds/okliv
Summary: It's Rey's big day, and Ben seems to have forgotten something.





	Red Tie, Red Flowers

“Honey, where’s my black tie?”

  
“I don’t know Ben, when was the last time you wore it?”

Rey twists back and forth in front of the mirror in their bedroom, admiring how good she looks in her graduation dress. It’s black and made of silk, and she’s never loved a piece of clothing more in her life. Ben picked it out, of course. The fashion sense in that one is unexpectedly amazing.

Ben rounds the corner into their room. “I don’t know, but it’s not in the kitchen or the living room.” He peers into the closet for the hundredth time, moving his suit jackets around.

“Why on earth would it be out there?” Rey asks, sitting down on the bed to put on her high heels. She looks up at him and raises an eyebrow.

“I’ve been holding conferences at the dining room table lately, haven’t you heard?” He winks and turns his attention to the dresser, which is already spilling over with undershirts and boxers. And ties. But apparently not the right tie.

“Ah, I wasn’t aware. Invite me next time, will you? I think after today, I will have earned my seat at the table.” She stands up, wrapping her arms around him from behind. Her fingertips can barely touch around his broad chest.

She feels him soften to her touch. His shoulders let go some of the tension they always seem to carry.

“There has always been an empty chair just for you,” he says, turning around to face her. He lays a soft hand on her cheek, softly stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. “I’m so proud of you,” he mumbles. “Are you excited for today?”

Rey leans her head against his chest and listens to his steady heartbeat. “I suppose. I’m more excited to get it over with.”

Ben scoffs, and Rey can feel the vibrations through the starchy shirt against the side of her face. “It’s not every day you get your PhD, Rey. Try and enjoy it, will you? You’ve worked so hard.”

Rey’s lips get tight. “I guess. I don’t like not having something to work towards. Graduations are more of an ending than a celebration in my mind.”

Ben pulls her in even closer. “Not all endings are bad. It’s time for the next big thing now. As if you’ll ever stop moving forward.”

Rey grins and looks up at him. “Thank you for coming today,” she whispers. “I’m happy to have someone in the audience.”

Warm light shines out of Ben’s eyes as he looks down at her. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He chuckles. “And I didn’t make you a million cups of tea for four years while you worked on that damn dissertation every night to NOT see you walk across that stage.”

Rey’s eyes mist over. She leans up and presses her lips to Ben’s, weaving a hand into his thick dark hair.

“I love you,” she whispers against his mouth, feeling his big lips spread into a smile.

“You amaze me. I love you,” he murmurs, kissing her hard.

Minutes pass before they untangle themselves, patting hair back into place and pressing wrinkles out of their clothes.

Rey reaches into the half-open drawer and pulls out a bright red tie. “Here, wear this,” she says, pressing it into his chest as he raises an eyebrow. “Now I’ll be able to find you in the audience.”

“Only because you’re asking and I don’t have it in me to say no to you today. I don’t even know why I own this. It’s so fucking ugly.”

Rey laughs hard. “I like it. Makes you look important.” Ben rolls his eyes as he ties it and drops it onto his chest. She shrugs her gray wool coat over her shoulders and leans over to straighten the tie.

A cheeky grin makes its way across her face. “And maybe it’ll match the flowers you got me.”

Ben goes white as his face completely drops. “Oh, fuck.”

Rey raises her eyebrows. “You didn’t get me flowers?” Ben is silent, and she can see the panic in his eyes. “You didn’t get me flowers.” A belly laugh leaves her, and Rey nearly doubles over. “Oh my god, I cannot believe you didn’t get me flowers. HA!”

“I’m so sorry, Rey, I totally forgot, I just-”

“No, no, I don’t want to hear it. Not a peep! If you don’t have the decency to get your woman flowers for her graduation, well then, I guess you’re not the man I thought you were.” She turns on a heel and struts out of the room.

Ben is still panicking. She loves it. “Rey, I-”

“I get it, you’re too busy to get me some flowers. I was right all along, the graduation is no big deal! Maybe we should just stay in tonight? Get some takeout?” She drops onto the couch and crosses her legs. “Hm?”

Ben’s eye twitches and his bottom lip pouts out. “Rey we gotta go… the car is warming up. And I’m really sorry.” The last part comes out as a barely audible mumble.

Rey leans across the couch and begins to undo the strap of a heel. “Oh, the car is warming up! That changes things, huh. I see how it is, the car is king.”

“Reyyyyy,” Ben groans, ambling over to the couch. “Baby, you know I’ll buy you all the flowers in the world. Every single bouquet. I’m sorry,” he groans.

Rey grins. “No, no. I’ll buy the flowers myself.” She crosses her arms and looks up at Ben, who’s looking as sheepish as ever. A tiny smile curls one side of his mouth up.

“Ah, okay.” He approaches the couch with a new confidence. “I suppose the least I can do is get you to this ceremony, then.” He scoops her up and cradles her in his arms like a newlywed. Rey can’t help but give it up at that. She presses a soft kiss to Ben’s lips and leans her head into his neck.

“Since the car is warm, I suppose,” she says, breathing in his musky scent.

Ben chuckles. “You mind if we stop at the grocery store on the way? I think there’s something I need to pick up.” He starts walking to the front door, and Rey swings out an arm to grab her purse off the counter.

“I don’t think you need anything, Ben. However, I need to buy some flowers, so yes, we can stop at the grocery store.”  
Ben swings her over his shoulder so that she’s in a full firefighter hold, high heels kicking in the air. “You’re a piece of work, you know,” he says as he carries her down the stairs.

Rey giggles. “Good.”

Clutching a diploma in her hands, Rey walks across the wide graduation stage and looks into the crowd. She blinks the bright stage lights out of her vision and sees him. A few rows back, right in the middle, absolutely beaming, hands clapping hard and loud.

He’s wearing a hideously red tie, and flowers are sitting in his lap.

They’re red roses.

And it’s the biggest bouquet in the whole audience.

A tear trails down Rey’s face as she mouths an ‘I love you’. She can’t hear Ben say it back, but he doesn’t have to. He let her buy the flowers.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely readers! 
> 
> I wrote this little one shot forever ago and thought I might come back to it with more ideas and juiciness later on, but I've grown very fond of this scene and don't want to surround it with anything else. Originally, it was sandwiched with angst. Thank god I found some sense and got rid of that. Still, I don't think anything else will come of this, especially since I'm working on my novel (!) and really need to concentrate my energies on that. But... I missed these two :)
> 
> Comments are appreciated!


End file.
